Dee Discusses: Suits 4×11

Suits is surprisingly one of the most dramatic shows on television. I always forget how dramatic it is until it comes back on, and I end up flailing throughout the episode. It’s just a show about lawyers, and yet I’m heavily invested in everything they do, even if I don’t always follow what they’re talking about. That’s a credit to the actors and the characters, honestly. They’re very dynamic and charismatic, and it’s enjoyable to watch even when the show is iffy. But it also means it can hurt your heart. Whenever the characters fight each other, it feels very personal. These aren’t coworkers, these are family members, and they can really hurt each other. I’m a sucker for ‘found family’ and Suits is an example of a story that uses the trope well. If you haven’t seen the show, it comes highly recommended. But this recap won’t make sense unless you have, so I’m going to assume from here you know the basics. Or the basics are: Mike Ross is a brilliant young man who lost his way, and he was hired by Harvey Specter despite not having graduated law school. They faked Mike’s credentials and he became Harvey’s associate. Over the past few seasons, every main character has learned about Mike, and at the winter break, the last character found out: Louis Litt.

This was a moment in TV I genuinely gasped at, and that almost never happens. Louis has come close before, and it was stressful, but this was slipped in so well under the radar that I wasn’t ready for it. He figured out Mike never went to Harvard because he didn’t remember something Harvard specific. He challenged Jessica, in tears of rage and hurt, and demanded that he become a name partner in exchange for his silence. This episode starts out immediately after. Harvey comes to the office and finds out, and Louis is insisting on getting partner immediately. Jessica keeps going dude, you were just gone, people are going to be suspicious, but Louis is a freaking idiot when he wants something. Or in general. So he keeps messing them up by telling Rachel’s father about his promotion, and wanting all the other staff members to know. And then he insists on a party. Jeez, Louis. The show has made us love Louis Litt, so it’ll be interesting to see how hard they can push him in being awful before the fans turn on him.

Louis’ rage destroys everything in its path. He confronts Mike immediately, and he breaks his friendship with Rachel as well, even being flat out awful to her. He reminds her she couldn’t get into law school on her own and she wasn’t good enough. It is completely disgusting. I found it interesting when Mike pointed out he used to be a better lawyer, and Louis bitterly said he believed in truth and justice and they all proved him wrong. He’s being melodramatic, of course, but Louis is coming from a place of pain. And he’s never going to get what he wants this way, which Donna points out to him: he’s getting his dream, and for all the wrong reasons. But he was not going to get it for right reasons, because Jessica was never going to put his name on the door. It’s an ugly situation. I love Louis but he was going way too far, and I feel like the writers have to be careful, because they’ve worked very hard on his character being likable. Jessica finally finds a way to cut off his scheming ways by having him sign a contract that states now he’s a partner, he’s in on the conspiracy about Mike. He’s used this piece of information, and it makes him as guilty as the rest of them. And they are all guilty.

I really liked Jessica finally admitting that she’s culpable for the situation too. She’s always blamed Mike and Harvey, but she does accept that she let it continue. Louis says he’ll keep pushing Rachel until Mike breaks, and he makes Donna admit she slept with Harvey, because he can be the absolute worst. At least Jessica pulled that leash up very early. She told her boyfriend about the embezzling truth from the past, since he was suspicious, and that Louis held it above her head. A lie that’s actually a truth. Rachel persuaded her father to hire Katrina at his firm, after he blackmails Harvey into getting Scottie to help him on a case. She doesn’t want to, but Harvey says he’ll find out about Mike otherwise. This was such an ugly episode. I wanted to flail at everyone and hug everyone. Except Louis. He’s on time out. Go sit in the corner and think about what you’ve done. I’m honestly not sure where they plan to go from here. There’s a new arc that is going to happen soon, they have several more episodes to go. Maybe a show down with Zane? Whatever it is, I’m not sure how they’re going to top the summer finale. The actors as usual eat up their roles, giving nuance and subtext to all their performances and their characters. Mike’s sincerity mixed with anger, Rachel’s vulnerability, Donna’s compassion, Jessica’s intense strength, Harvey’s arrogant fury, and Louis … being Louis. Sigh. It’s intense to watch. I just want everyone to hug. 😦